Dragin Technologies and Ocrolus Announce Strategic Partnership: Enabling the Next Generation of Application Process Automation for Small Business Financing

New York, NY – 05/20/24 – Dragin.io, a machine learning process automation tech firm, is thrilled to announce a product integration and strategic partnership with Ocrolus, a leader in AI-driven financial document analysis. This collaboration aims to combine Dragin’s cutting-edge process automation technology with the industry-leading bank statement automation and cash flow analytics products offered by Ocrolus. Together, the new solution offers clients in small business financing unmatched speed, accuracy, compliance, and a robust fraud detection system, providing them with confidence and security in their financial operations.

Mark Ross, CEO of Dragin, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “This is incredibly exciting for the future of the small business financing industry. Dragin specializes in automation solutions that help our clients deliver their offers faster than anyone else in the industry. Partnering with Ocrolus enables us to achieve technological advancements in business financing sooner than expected.”

Dragin’s AI and machine learning (ML) algorithms enable sophisticated data processing, providing actionable insights for offer creation and customization in the business funding deal cycle. This technology empowers underwriters to make informed decisions smarter and more quickly.

This partnership will enable powerful solutions for providers of small business financing, offering:

• Speed and Efficiency: Clients can rapidly analyze bank statement data, accelerating decision-making and reducing the time required for underwriting approvals.
• Compliance and Fraud Detection: Ocrolus’ technology performs comprehensive, AI-driven fraud detection, safeguarding clients against potential risks.
• Accuracy and Reliability: The partnership guarantees high levels of accuracy in data extraction and analysis, minimizing errors and enhancing the reliability of financial assessments.
• A.I. & Machine Learning: Dragin has developed advanced AI and ML models that can parse and classify nearly all document types and fill in missing fields such as industry, leading to a more robust auto-decline system. Integrating Ocrolus’ AI-driven document automation and analytics will bolster Dragin’s overall capabilities in lead prequalification.

“We are incredibly optimistic about this partnership with Dragin,” remarked Sam Bobley, CEO of Ocrolus. “Their focus on improving the efficiency of small business funding processes and commitment to client satisfaction makes them an ideal partner for Ocrolus. We look forward to a successful collaboration that will provide customers with the trusted and accurate data, fraud detection, and analytics they need to confidently make important financial decisions.”

About Dragin
Dragin is a leading fintech solutions provider dedicated to delivering innovative and efficient services to its clients. Founded with a mission to simplify and streamline financial processes, Dragin has developed cutting-edge technology, including A.I. and machine learning, to streamline processing automation which creates actionable insights for offer creation and customization. For more information about Dragin and its automation solutions, please visit https://www.dragin.io

About Ocrolus
Ocrolus is a document AI platform that enables faster and more accurate financial decision-making. The company analyzes documents with over 99% accuracy, regardless of format or quality, supporting hundreds of document types including bank statements, pay stubs, and tax forms. Ocrolus provides a trusted solution to detect fraud, analyze cash flows and income, and streamline decisions for 500+ clients across a number of use cases. Customers such as Enova, PayPal, Rapid Finance, Bluevine, National Funding, and Kapitus leverage Ocrolus automation to build delightful user experiences. To learn more, visit Ocrolus.com.

Staying Vigilant in the Funding Business

There’s a lot of funny business going on these days, so here are some things for you and your merchants to look out for:

The LOC Bait and Switch
A scammer offers the customer an impossibly good deal on a line of credit that is contingent on first entering into some other product. After the customer enters into the first transaction, the LOC offer and the scammer disappear. If your customer is susceptible to falling for something like this, make sure to advise them ahead of time accordingly.

The Mystery Funder
Despite a customer claiming to work exclusively with you as a broker, at some point a third party mysteriously enters the process and offers a separate deal to them to compete with you. Although there could be many reasons for this happening both legitimate or otherwise, including the customer not being completely forthright about exclusivity, you should communicate with your customer beforehand about who or who not to expect a communication from. Also, there are methods you can use to mitigate this by plugging up common attack vectors like an email address or phone # on a submitted application. Allow an attorney to guide you on how to do this most effectively and legally.

The Debt Advisor
Beware the debt advisor who claims they are there to help a merchant reduce the obligations of their loans or advances as many do not understand the contracts they claim to advise on. Because of this, they can potentially push a customer into a much worse situation than they otherwise might’ve been in. A merchant’s best bet is to communicate directly with the source of capital on their own. Oftentimes a contract spells out the proper protocol to follow depending on what the situation is.

Pac-man
They got hot full packs for sale including bank statements, social security #s, and other data ready to send your way! Before engaging in any such transaction, please consult with an attorney about the potential implications of doing something like this. Same goes for you if you were thinking about “selling your declines.”

The Ghost
Brokers often complain about customers falling for obvious scams over the phone, including the classic LOC scam, however, brokers can be just as susceptible to the same tactics. Before working with any lender or funder, you should conduct a full range of due diligence on them. This includes investigating their precise address, who the owner is, what their background is, what their ISO contract says, what their merchant contract says, etc. Too often brokers are drawn in by a commission they believe they stand to make and a smooth talking biz dev rep they talked to on the phone and skip over all the fundamentals. If the funder turns out to be a scammer, then you’ve potentially placed customers with that scammer and put yourself doubly at risk. A commission isn’t worth waiving due diligence. The stakes are too high for this industry.

FOR SALE: Funding Circle US?

Funding Circle has decided to focus just on its UK business. The company is open to selling off its US business, it revealed.

“Whilst the US business offers attractive long term growth, it also requires a significant amount of cash and capital to grow the SBA proposition and we don’t believe that this is the best course of action for the Group,” said Funding Circle CEO Lisa Jacobs. “We have received indications of interest for the US business and will update further in due course.”

The US segment originated $491M in 2023 while generating $40.4M in revenue and a $29M net loss. That loss was steeper than the $11.6M recorded in 2022.

Funding Circle had just recently secured an SBLC license after years of lobbying for the SBA to end the 40-year pause. When that happened, it was anticipated to be a big boon for them.

Compared to the competition in 2023, Funding Circle’s American origination volume was only 1/6th that of Enova’s.

Expansion Capital Group Announces $1 Billion Funding Milestone — Supporting the Expansion of U.S. Small Businesses

Expansion Capital Group’s Executive Leadership Team
L-R: Herk Christie, Chief Operating Officer; Brittney Newell, Chief Financial Officer; Vincent Ney, Chief Executive Officer;
Tim Mages, Chief Strategy Officer; Mike Beattie, Chief Technology Officer

Photo Credit: Reistroffer Design

SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA—Expansion Capital Group, LLC (“ECG”) is pleased to announce its billionth dollar in funding, reinforcing its mission to support the “Expansion” of America’s Small Businesses with simple and efficient capital. Since inception in 2013, ECG has provided services to over 20,000 small businesses across multiple industries nationwide. ECG’s core solution, a six to 11 month working capital product, meets the needs of small business owners that are not in a position to wait for a traditional bank loan.

Tim Mages, Chief Strategy Officer of ECG said, “The ECG team is proud of its efforts to fulfill the capital needs of small business owners. Capital challenges have been magnified since COVID and the recent muted lending environment by regional and community banks. During the last three years, inflationary pressures have negatively impacted many hardworking small business owners. ECG has continued to be a reliable partner and a key resource as business owners navigate these headwinds.”

He continued, “In the last two years, we’ve seen accelerated growth of our platform. This growth is being driven by two key factors. First, our industry-leading Partner Portal is designed to create a transparent and seamless process for our referral partners. Second, investments in new technology and data sources have positioned ECG to provide underwritten approvals in less than an hour. These innovations would not have been possible without the trust of our valued customers and dedication of our 85+ team members.”

ECG’s Chief Operating Officer, Herk Christie, said, “Paramount to our success is the support from our referral partners. Since inception, we’ve also seen over one million applications from small business owners. Our financing alternatives provide business owners with more options and availability, so they can successfully execute their business objectives.”

As an on-balance sheet working capital provider, ECG is committed to providing customized solutions for small businesses. ECG works directly with small business owners and with hundreds of referral partners who are trying to meet their clients needs. ECG utilizes proprietary data, analytics, and systems to provide access and capital in a timely manner. Its robust underwriting models and flexible Partner Portal platform allows business owners to compare options and select a product that fits their needs.

Brittney Newell, ECG’s Chief Financial Officer added, “We hope to continue this growth in the coming years and appreciate the support of our long-time capital provider Bastion Management. As many market participants have tightened lending standards throughout 2023, ECG is committed to continuing to meet the increased demand for our services and offerings.”

PR Contact: tamara@tamaraedwards.co

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Expansion Capital Group is headquartered in Sioux Falls, SD and operates as a technology-driven specialty lender harnessing data and analytics to offer tailor-made solutions for small business enterprises. The company primarily serves small businesses across the United States with annual revenues of less than $10 million. For more information, please visit www.ecg.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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